Who Else Thinks That A Mechanical Pencil Is The Next-Best Thing To A Fountain Pen?

[milkb0at]

Whilst I'm waiting for the Zoom to arrive I also remembered the Mitsubishi Pure Malt as another capped pencil. It's a bit expensive for me to buy it just to try it, so I don't know what it's like. I'm can't even tell if it's a short/long design like the Kerry / Tasche or if it's just a normal length that happens to be capped. If anyone has one, I'd like to hear what it's like.

[Maine Vintner]

Yes mechanical pencil and fountain pen are my main two writing tools. For pencil I love the sharp Kerry from pentel, really smooth writer and sturdy too.

+1 and love the color options!

[truthpil]

I'm so glad I came across this thread because it's led to some fond memories of favorite writing instruments I had long forgotten.

I've only been into fountain pens for 6 years. Before that it was always and only mechanical pencils.

 

The first mp I remember owning was an original Pentel Quicker Clicker in 0.9 that I found on the ground at school.

It was soon joined by another in 0.5 that lasted me throughout middle school and much of high school. I think eventually the clicker mechanism broke, but I really loved being able to advance the lead without having to change grip.

 

While studying Korean in Seoul a decade later, I remember picking up a Monami knock off of the Pentel P205 and I really enjoyed the control I could get with the slim profile. Four years later I was back in Korea to study again and went for two Zebra DM5-300s in 0.9 which I kept on using despite the line being a little too wide for fitting the text into the little spaces in the workbooks. I think one of those mps even went with me when I took the Test of Proficiency in Korean (TOPIK).

 

Then graduate school came along and I got two 0.5 Zebra M 301s that are with me to this day and still function as good as new. The finer line was essential for writing the tiny vowel markings in my Hebrew courses (I'm a language junkie). However, it was in graduate school that I discovered fountain pens and quickly abandoned everything else whenever possible. The only time I used mps after that was when I needed to write something really tiny and couldn't afford any feathering or bleed.

 

Lately, I'm starting to appreciate mps again (though they'll never see as much actions as my fps) and just this year I got a Mitsubishi Pure Malt (below) that feels just lovely in the hand, as well as a NOS Pelikan D200 I got a deal on (both in 0.5). If only the Pure Malt had a matching fp!

 

I just picked up my first 0.3 mp (a Sakura 123) and was amazed that it has less feedback than any fp that could write a similar line width. I've been experimenting with leads and really enjoying Ain Stein 2B, although after reading this thread I think I'll try some 0.7 or 0.9 4B to enjoy a softer and darker ride.

 

One mechanical pencil that is popular in China right now uses a size called "2B" which is a rectangular-shaped lead that had line variation like a stub nib and can do some nice calligraphy.

 

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1-Pcs-M-G-Exame-Answer-Sheet-2B-Pencils-Kids-School-Stationery-Supplies/32697783275.html

 

After reading this thread, I think I'll finally go ahead and get a Kerry in 0.7. They just look so classy and I like the fact that there's a cap to keep me from stabbing myself.

[milkb0at]

Lately, I'm starting to appreciate mps again (though they'll never see as much actions as my fps) and just this year I got a Mitsubishi Pure Malt (below) that feels just lovely in the hand, as well as a NOS Pelikan D200 I got a deal on (both in 0.5). If only the Pure Malt had a matching fp!

 

 

Huh, that Pure Malt MP is different to the one I was looking at

 

Both look good, though.

[truthpil]

Yes. I think there are two or three different models. I opted for the one with the most wood so I could have a smooth, seamless body.

[MYU]

TruthPil, thanks for posting about that Chinese pencil with rectangular shaped lead! VERY, very curious. I wonder if it's exclusive to China or if sold elsewhere? Never heard of this before in the USA. Imagine getting a stub-nib like line variation, with a pencil. Pretty neat.

 

EDIT: Ah yes, apparently Zebra makes one. LINK.

 

About the Pure Malt, there are a number of different variations, the most notable being capped versus capless. I've yet to get either, but I've long thought well of them. Someday...

Edited October 2, 2018 by MYU

[truthpil]

TruthPil, thanks for posting about that Chinese pencil with rectangular shaped lead! VERY, very curious. I wonder if it's exclusive to China or if sold elsewhere? Never heard of this before in the USA. Imagine getting a stub-nib like line variation, with a pencil. Pretty neat.

 

Here's how these Chinese "2B" pencils write:

 

 

Edited October 3, 2018 by TruthPil

[MYU]

Interesting. Not quite the variation I was expecting, but I guess you could achieve it by more frequent sharpening. In the USA, you can buy pencils like these but doesn't look like replacement lead packs are available. In China, are these equally popular as rounded leads?

[truthpil]

Interesting. Not quite the variation I was expecting, but I guess you could achieve it by more frequent sharpening. In the USA, you can buy pencils like these but doesn't look like replacement lead packs are available. In China, are these equally popular as rounded leads?

 

I wouldn't say they are equally popular, but they are ubiquitous. Every store has them along with replacement leads, but the lead quality doesn't seem to be very good. I haven't been able to find anything other than HB. I think the purpose of these pencils is to function like a Fude nib for writing Chinese, although the lines don't seem crisp enough to give clear variation.

[amper]

I'm 49, unfortunately. And I've been using fountain pens since I was 11, when someone bought me a cheap steel-inlaid-nib Sheaffer for Christmas. (I say 'cheap', but it was expensive compared to a biro, and I was overwhelmed by its preciousness.)

 

A bully called Brian Crocombe tossed it in the air in the school playground, and it died. (I'm afraid karma has yet to catch up with Brian.)

 

I have been using FPs ever since. But it is only in the last two years or so that I've realised how bloody fabulous mechanical pencils are.

 

I now use - far more than any pen - a Pentel P205. It's sort-of the standard MP, as many of you know. What makes it truly a great writing instrument, though, is the Pentel Ain Stein leads I stick in it.

 

I use 4B, and the darkness and smoothness are spectacular. This combination writes wonderfully on nearly every paper, though paper is still a consideration for the best performance.

 

I am usually very happy to carry this MP with this lead with my notebook, because it is almost - almost - as pleasant as a Safari or Pelikan.

 

And if fountain pens were disinvented, or if the government of my country suddenly decided (in a fit, perhaps, of puritanical zeal) that fountain pens were a vanity too far, I think I could just about cope.

 

Maybe.

 

 

 

 

 

Right?

 

I still have a stock of Pentel P200 Series (all four widths, I think), Koh-i-Noor Rapid-o-Matic (also all four widths), my last Pilot H1005, and a couple of Pentel Sharp Kerry pencils, though I can't seem to find my 0.7 mm. And I even have a Cross Metropolitan pencil, because I have a whole set of the Metropolitan line: fountain, roller, ballpoint, pencil, and even the stylus.

[amper]

Just the ones that happened to be sitting in the Mason jar on my desk at home when I came across this post: Pentel S55, Cross Metropolitan, Pilot H1005, Pentel Kerry (missing its eraser cap, remind me to track down a new one, but I have a brand new Kerry that I've never opened, as well). I know at least one of my Koh-i-Noors is in the Mason jar on my desk at work. Also somehow my watch got in there, lol.

 

Edited October 5, 2018 by amper

[amper]

Fair question.

 

2mm, though of thicker lead, are no less 'accurate' than thin MPs, and many would argue that they are more so, given that the lead is habitually brought to a very fine point for detail work - a point finer than naturally available on a thin lead. If the MP is brought to a finer point than offered by the lead's diameter, then sharpening is the same issue for both.

 

But this assumes accuracy has something to do with the thinness or pointy-ness of the lead, and it doesn't. Accuracy is in the user, not the tool.

 

Generally, the 2mm offers greater flexibility of line to those who have mastered it, and this is why I reported earlier that the 2mm is often the preferred weapon of draughters and designers who have long experience of their trade.

 

It depends, however, on one's style of work; those whose object is to reproduce the sterile look of CAD drawings may well find the MP helps them to achieve this goal.

 

ETA some draughting images all done with 2mm clutch

 

When it comes to drafting, while I am well-versed in the 2 mm leadholder, a set of mechanical pencils is far more convenient, because it will always give a consistent line width. Don't worry, I haven't thrown out my leadholders just yet. I studied drafting in 6th Grade and 8th Grade as part of the requirements for my shop classes, in 10th Grade as a required course all its own, and went to university for Theatre Design, which required more or less constant drafting.

Edited October 5, 2018 by amper

[amper]

Speaking of 2 mm leads...remember when we had to use these??

[amper]

@adim - harder lead will smudge much less, but then you have to press a little harder. Some types of papers are better suited for pencil writing, holding onto the lead particles a bit more. But for sketch journals, it's probably a good idea to slip in some tracing paper (onion skin style) in between pages to minimize the smudging.

 

Can't post without including a little pencil porn...

 

 

I've never seen these before. They are *gorgeous*, and they look like they'd be amazing for drafting. I assume that plastic clip is removable, on purpose, so you can more easily spin the barrel.

[amper]

Any mechanical pencils that you guys can think of that pair particularly well with fountain pens? I walk around with a Pilot Vanishing Point, a Lamy Aion, and a Lamy Pico on a daily basis. I would love to have a mechanical pencil for those moments when I'm doing research in the archives. Pens of any kind are forbidden in archival and rare book reading rooms. Any mechanical pencils that you guys recommend when you just can't have a fountain pen with you?

 

If I had a Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen, I'd track down a Pilot Vanishing Point mechanical pencil, but since I don't have a Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen, and I already have a Pilot Vanishing Point mechanical pencil, I don't need to. I'm of two minds whether or not I should ever get a Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen, though. See the model H1005 in my picture, above.

 

But, if I absolutely had to choose only one mechanical pencil, I can't decide between the Pentel Kerry and the Pilot H1005 Vanishing Point. The Kerry is more robust, but the H1005 is better for mechanical drawing. I don't carry my H1005 anymore, because they are long discontinued, and they are plastic barrelled, so one drop and it could all be over. The one I have left is about 20-25 years old.

Edited October 5, 2018 by amper

[amper]

As a side note, I've never really understood the fascination with Rotring 600s. They are just a metal version of the Koh-i-Noor Rapid-o-matic, but they are overly heavy, and the sharp knurling makes them fairly uncomfortable to use, which is a problem shared with the Koh-i-Noor version. I never liked them, not from the day we first got them into our store. (I used to be the purchasing manager for an art supply store in Philadelphia, back in the early 1990s.)

Edited October 5, 2018 by amper

[Algester]

TruthPil, thanks for posting about that Chinese pencil with rectangular shaped lead! VERY, very curious. I wonder if it's exclusive to China or if sold elsewhere? Never heard of this before in the USA. Imagine getting a stub-nib like line variation, with a pencil. Pretty neat.

 

EDIT: Ah yes, apparently Zebra makes one. LINK.

 

About the Pure Malt, there are a number of different variations, the most notable being capped versus capless. I've yet to get either, but I've long thought well of them. Someday...

rectangular leads arent an anomally they are a result of MPs made for entrance exams for colleges and the like easier shading on rectangular boxes they are a bit of a hassle to find though we have a chinese MPs here with rectangular leads called TipTop

 

https://www.amazon.com/TIPTOP-Square-Refill-Mechanical-Pencil/dp/B00XWW5ZOY

 

As a side note, I've never really understood the fascination with Rotring 600s. They are just a metal version of the Koh-i-Noor Rapid-o-matic, but they are overly heavy, and the sharp knurling makes them fairly uncomfortable to use, which is a problem shared with the Koh-i-Noor version. I never liked them, not from the day we first got them into our store. (I used to be the purchasing manager for an art supply store in Philadelphia, back in the early 1990s.)

what you basically got was a holdover of stereotypical marketing just like how Texas Instruments scientific calculators got a monopoly for that sector in the US Edited October 9, 2018 by Algester

[bsenn]

What's old is new again.

 

https://leadheadpencils.blogspot.com/2017/12/making-sense-of-square-4.html?m=1

 

Regarding sharp knurling on Rotrings, for me that is one of the charms. It dulls after some use.

[1nkulus]

Regarding sharp knurling on Rotrings, for me that is one of the charms. It dulls after some use.

+1

 

I enjoy the heft of the 600 and, unfortunately, because of it the tip is highly likely to get damaged if dropped.

[Karmachanic]

Regarding sharp knurling on Rotrings, for me that is one of the charms. It dulls after some use.

 

Or one develops calluses.

Edited October 9, 2018 by Karmachanic